Questions worth asking

There is a kind of spiritual danger that does not announce itself. It does not arrive with obvious warning signs or dramatic fanfare. It creeps in gradually, through the voices we trust, the desires we entertain, and the slow drift of a heart that has quietly given its allegiance to something other than God. The three chapters of Ezekiel covered in this reflection — chapters 13, 14, and 15 — press us with three questions that are as relevant today as they were to ancient Israel. They are questions worth sitting with honestly.

Who Are We Listening To?
Ezekiel 13 opens with God's indictment against the false prophets of Israel. These were men who held positions of spiritual influence and public trust, yet the source of their messages was not God. As the text makes clear, they were prophesying out of their own imagination and following their own spirit rather than the leading of the Holy Spirit. They constructed a wall of false security for the people, declaring peace where there was no peace, and then whitewashing that flimsy wall to make it appear sturdy and reliable. When the storm came, the wall collapsed — and so did those who built it.

One of the most sobering observations from this passage is that the false prophets may not have been entirely cynical. Some of them may have genuinely wanted what they were saying to be true. And that is a warning for all of us: be careful not to confuse what you want to be true with what God has actually declared to be true. When we deeply desire something, we are capable of convincing ourselves that God desires it too. We can even reach for scripture to support our wishes, pulling verses out of context and bending their meaning to serve our own purposes.

This problem has not disappeared in the modern world — it has multiplied. We now live in an era of unprecedented access to spiritual teaching. Podcasts, YouTube channels, books, and social media platforms deliver an endless stream of voices claiming biblical authority. Some of that content is genuinely sound and edifying. A great deal of it is not. Popularity is not a reliable measure of biblical accuracy. A confident, passionate delivery is not proof that what is being said is true. And quoting scripture does not automatically mean scripture is being handled correctly.

Sound biblical teaching works from the text outward — it draws its point from the passage itself. Problematic teaching works in the opposite direction, starting with a conclusion and then searching for verses to support it. If you do not know the scriptures well enough to tell the difference, you are vulnerable.

The responsibility for your spiritual formation cannot be outsourced entirely to someone else. God provides teachers and pastors for the body of Christ, and that gift should not be dismissed. But no teacher, however gifted or trustworthy, was meant to replace your own engagement with the word of God. Read it yourself. Study it in context. Look into the meaning of words and phrases. Let the Spirit of God be your guide. Never accept what you are taught simply because the person teaching it seems authoritative or sincere. Go back and look for yourself.

What Has Your Heart?
Ezekiel 14 shifts the focus from the false prophets to the leaders of Israel who came to sit before Ezekiel. They came, ostensibly, to hear from God. But God's response was pointed and penetrating: these men had set up idols in their hearts. They had not come with genuine openness to the truth. They had come hoping to hear something that aligned with what they already wanted.

God's diagnosis is striking: the problem was not merely behavioral. It was a matter of the heart. And the question He presses upon them — and upon us — is this: what has your heart?

Idols in the ancient world were tangible and visible. Ours rarely are. Modern idols are often abstract: comfort, approval, ambition, relationships, financial security, personal identity. They are not inherently evil things, but they become idols when they occupy a place in our hearts that belongs to God alone. And the danger is that this can happen without our full awareness. The heart, as Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us, is deceitful above all things.

Whatever has your heart will shape what you hear, what you value, and what decisions you make. The leaders of Israel came to Ezekiel not because they wanted truth, but because they wanted confirmation. When the heart has drifted toward something other than God, it begins to filter what it is willing to receive. Hearing from God becomes difficult not because God has gone silent, but because the heart is tuned to a different frequency.

The remedy is honest prayer. Not the kind that assumes the answer, but the kind that genuinely asks: Lord, do you actually have my heart? It takes courage to pray that way, because God may reveal that something has quietly taken up residence where only He belongs. But that revelation is an act of grace, not condemnation. His purpose in exposing the idols is always to restore the heart to Himself.

What Are We Producing?
Ezekiel 15 is brief but searching. God uses the image of a vine branch to describe the spiritual condition of His people. A vine branch has one purpose: to bear fruit. If it is not connected to the vine and producing fruit, it has no functional value. It cannot be used for timber or craftsmanship. It is only good for burning.

Jesus picks up this same imagery in John 15:4-5, where He describes Himself as the vine and His followers as the branches. The principle is clear: apart from abiding in Him, no genuine fruit can be produced.

Fruit in the life of a believer is not simply measured by activity or accomplishment. It shows up in transformation — in becoming more like Christ over time. It shows up in the way we affect the people around us. Do others experience grace from us, or harshness? Do our words build up or tear down? Do we encourage those in our lives spiritually, or do we leave them depleted?

If you do not like what your life is producing, that is important information. It points to a connection that needs to be restored. The solution is not greater effort or more religious activity. The solution is abiding — returning to the vine, staying close to Christ, and allowing that connection to do what it was always meant to do.

These three questions are not meant to produce guilt. They are meant to produce clarity. Who are you listening to? What has your heart? What are you producing? Honest answers to these questions have the power to redirect a life toward the fruitfulness and faithfulness that God has always intended for His people.